Food storage and display device



AU- 12 1941- QE. M. sTlLi-:s 2,252,237

FooD STORAGE AND DISPLAY DEVICE Filed oet. 2, 1959 2 sDeetsQsneet 1 A l A IIN I I IHIUMHM l Wl il? i i- ATTORNEY 5.

Aug. v12, 19471.

E. M. ESTILES- FOOD STORGE AND DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Oct. 2. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet" 2 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 12, 19.41

lUNITED STATES f PATE-NT OFFICE 2,252,237 v l FooD STORAGE AND DISPLAY DEVICE Edward M. Stiles, Burlington, Iowa. e Application october 2,1939, serialNacsLse'z (ci. ca -89.6)

I 8 Claims. My invention belongs tothat class of devices used for the storage, preservation and display of foodstuil's.

An iobject of my invention is to providea food display and storage means which Awill eliminate many of the disadvantages of existing equipment.

More particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide a structure in which dehydration vof the contained foods is eliminated,

A further object of my invention is to provide Ia food storage and display cabinet construction wherein a number of individual display or storage cells may be provided, and in which accessto any one of thev cells can be had Without loss of cold air from any parts of the cabinet` other' than the particular cell.

Another object is to provide a refrigerated display cabinet structure in which opening of the cabinet for removal or Vinsertion of foodstuls does not permit any inrush of warm air to the front glass of the cabinet. Fogging and frosting of the glass is thus eliminated. l, Y l

Still another object is to provide a structure wherein the Vair to which the .stored foodstuffs are exposed is isolated-from the air which passes over the refrigerant coils and deposits its moisture in the form 'of frost on tlfe'coils.

Another objectI is to provide a food storage cabinet having storage cells therein, each ofV which can be removed as a unit, together with its contents, if desired. 'I'his facilitates handling of the goods, and greatly increases the 'ease with 'which the storage cabinet, and the individual cells, can be cleaned.

With these and other objects in view, my -in' numeral Ill to indicate-generally a casing. This may be of a type similar to refrigerated display lcases .now in common use in grocery and meat stores-constructed with walls of insulating material l2 which may be cork orl any other suitable material.

sliding doors or panels 20,- 22, 24 `and 2 6. The sliding panel 2|] overlaps the panel 22 and the panels 20 and 22 are mounted in guide Ways 28 which permit horizontal sliding movement. The

panels 24 and26 are similarly arranged.

As thus far described, the cabinet l0 and its fittings involve no substantial differences from commercial display casesnow in common use. My invention consists in the provision in such -a display case of food storage cells or compart-y ments indicated generally by the letter-C. A

perspective view of one of these cells is shown in Figure 6. It consists of a top member 30, side VWalls 32'and a bottom.34, all preferably formed of sheet metal. The front of the cell C is truncated to conform to theslope of the window I4 in thecase l0 and this truncated portion of the `Figure 1 is a. perspective view of a refrigerated display cabinet embodying my'invention.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the cabine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View on 'the line I 3-3 of Figure 2. i,

Figure 4 isa fragmentary vertical sectional View on the line 4-4 of Figure 3. l

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the lineV5-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one ofthe food storage and display cells which constitute apart of my invention.

On the drawings I have used the reference cell C is provided Witha window 36, which is mounted inany suitable marmerand may be made of glass or other transparent material. The

rear of the cell C is closed by a back 38 'which extends outwardly beyond the Wall'members 30, |32 and 34 in theform of a ilange 40. Access to the interior of the cell C 'is made possible Iby a `door 42 mounted on hinges 44 which are pref' erably spring hinges, so that the door 42 will be self-closing when released. If ordinary plain hinges are used, a latch or` similar retaining means 46 m'ay be provided for holding the door 42 in closed position and Will preferablyhave a knob 48 which can be grasped for opening the access door 42.

A number of cells C, constructed as above described, are mounted within the case IIJ, being supported in any suitable manner. As anfexample, I have shown in the drawings transverse structural members 50, which support lmembers 52 and 54 extending longitudinally of. the base from; ends thereof. The eens C are thus supported by themembers 52v and 54.

The back 38 of the cell Cfis preferably located 2 t just slightly forward of the inside piane of the rear wall of the case I0, to allow the proper clearance between the 'sliding panel 22 andtheprojectlng'portions of hinges 44 and knob 48.- Inside the rear face of the case III-I provide inwardly extending iiange members 58; In the space ,be-

tween adjacent cells C, the flanges 58 are con- It will be noted that when this is done the interior portions indicated generallyas A) of theY cabinet I0 are not opened to the external atmosphere in any way, because of the seal effected between the portions 58 and 59 on the inside of the rear face of the case I0 and the flange-portion 40 on the cell C. Any loss of cold air occurs only from the particular cell `C which is open.

It will be further noted that access can thus be gained to the food storage space without admitting any room air to the space A which would fog or frost the front glass I4. Such fogging detracts from the neat appearance of the case, and .obstructs the customers' view of the goods displayed within.

A third significant and important advantage of the structure described arises from'the fact that refrigeration of foodstuffs kept inside the cells C is accomplished without any contact between the air to which the foodstuffsae exposed and the cooling coils Il and I8.- It is well known that the air in space A'is continuously dehydrated by depositV of its moisture on the coils I6 and I8. In the normal circulation in a conventional box, the airy thus dehydrated extracts moisture from the stored foodstuifs, and this undesirable cyclev goes on continuously. The result is that moisture is removed from meat, causing both a loss of weight and discoloration. Vegetables become wilted, rubbery and discolored. Consequently there is a serious item of expense represented by spoilage, even in a refrigerated storage cabinet.

By isolating the food storage space in the cells C I eliminate the disadvantages above indicated. Cooling of the interior of the cells Cis accomplished by conduction through the Walls 30, 32

and 36, but obviously moisture is not removedthrough'jthe walls from the interior.

The air in space A which is dehydrated by the coils I6 and I8 does not mix with the'air within the cells C. The result is that I can display foodstuffs such as fresh meat and vegetables, and keep them in fresh, attractive and saleable condition over much longer periods than is possible with the conventional structures. Elimination of the losses through storage spoilage cuts down costs which'must overwise inevitably be I passed on to the consumer. Consequently, with my equipment food prices can be lower, because they need not include the dead weight of markups to include spoilage. Furthermore, the customer is assured of receiving foods-which have fresh feel and taste.

In the lower part of the case I0 I provide cells v by engaging portions 58 and 59, just as in the case of the C type cells.

The cells C' can be used for storage of sur'- plus/ foodstus or other goods prior to selling. It may be desirable, for example, to `arrange a display of certain goods in the compartments C, in which the display is visible to customers through the windows I4 and 36. The stock of goods for sale, corresponding to those arranged in display in any particular cell C, can be kept in the cell C' immediately below. Any necessity for disarranging the display is thus avoided, yet the sale stock is kept conveniently available. As in the case of the cells C, the cells C are supported and spaced in such a way that a free circulation of air from the space A may take" place around and between them.

It will be noted that the cells C and C can be entirely removed from the cabinet I0 simply by sliding them rearwardly out of the cabinet when other auxiliary refrigerated space which may be available in a store, and can be transferred or interchanged with those in the case I0 as may be desired. The members 52 and 54 are connected by rods 60 which serve as runners to facilitate the insertion and removal of the cells C and C. Y

It has been'pointed out that the construction of my cells C and C' avoids dehydration of food products in the cells by preventing contact of the air in the space A with the foods. This same construction gives rise -to another important advantage in that thevamount of moisture in each cell can be regulated as desired. For products which require a high degree of moisture to preserve their freshness, the air in the cell in which those products are kept can be heavily loaded require so much moisture, the moisture canbe independently regulated in those cells tovmeet the requirements.

My invention gives greatly improved results in the* preservation of fruits and vegetables when on display.\ Thecool temperatures maintained by the structural combination which I have developed prevent decay and growth. The retention and regulation ofV the moisture in the cells prevents dehydration. The combination of the two, low temperature and retention of moisture, prevents wilting. Furthermore, when wlted and shriveled vegetables are sprinkled with water and placed in a display cell in my device, their crispness and garden freshness are in a large measure restored.

Some changes may be madefin the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A food storage device comprising an outer casing, refrigerant means therewithin, a transparent window in one wall thereof, a plurality of openings therein, compartments adapted to be inserted into said casing through said openings,

and windows in said compartments adjacent said window in said casing when said compartments are inserted in said openings, each of said compartments having an outwardly extending member around one end, said member eiecting an abutting engagement with the wall of said casing 'when the compartment is insertedv through one of said openings therein. Y f

2. Foodstorage means comprising a refrigerated casing, an opening in a wall thereof, Aa

box-like storage cell insertable into said casing throughsaid opening, andmeans adapted to effect 'a seal between said cell and said casing around saidopening, said seal substantially preventing egress of vair from the space within said casing outside of said cell, said last means comprising a flange surrounding said opening, secured to the inner wall of said casing, and extending toward the Vcenter of said opening, and a second flange constituting an extension of one wall of said cell, said iianges having abutting engagement when said cell is inserted into `said casing., y 3. Means for the display of food products comprising a casing, a 'transparent window'therein, individualunit cells insertable into said casing through openings therein, transparent portions in said cells located adjacent said window when said cells are inserted into said casing, andi means surrounding each opening adapted to effect an air seal with the celllin said opening, to prevent ingress of room air and fogging of lthe interior surface of said window.

4. Refrigerated display .means comprising Vva casing, a transparent window therein, compart ments within said casing, transparent portions 1 in said compartments located in alignment with said window for-vision therethrough, said compartments each having one wall adjacent a wall each other within-said cabinet, said compart ments having imperforate heat conducting Walls l preventing exchange of air between the interior of said compartments and the interior of said cabinetl surrounding said compartments, transparent Windows in the front walls of said com-- partments, spaced from the window in said outer cabinet, and an access opening in each compartment coacting 4with an opening in the wall of said cabinet. v

6. A food storage device comprising an outer casing, a transparent window in one wall thereof, a plurality of openings in the opposite wall thereof, storagev cells insertable into said casing through said openings, and Windows in the ends of said cells adjacent the window in said casing, the length of said cells being proportioned so that'when they are fully inserted in the casing,

an air space ,remains between the cell windowsl and the casing window. i ..4 l

7. In a food storage cabinet, an outer casing,

a window in one wall thereof, a plurality of horizontally spaced openings in the opposite wallV thereof, storage cells removably inserted into said casing through said openings, the length of said cells from front to back'being' less than-the interior distance between the walls of said casing above mentioned, and the width and height of of said casing, openings through said adjacentl walls of said casing and said compartments allowing access to said compartments, and means effecting a seal between said compartments and .the wall of said casing surrounding said openings in said casing to preventl ingresso!! room air to the space between said window parent portions.l l

5. Refrigerated storage display means comprising an outer heat-insulated cabinet, lrefrig erant means therein. a transparent window in the front wall thereof. a plurality of compart-` ments located lin heat-exchanging relation lwith and said trans-f tions in said cells located adjacent said window when said cells are inserted into said casing, said cells having imper'iorate heat conducting walls preventing exchange of air between the interior oi saidcells and the interior oi said cabinet surrounding said cells, said'cells being in heat-exchanging relation with each other when inserted in said casing.

. EDWARD M. sTxLEs. 

